Gay-acting straight man: with Angels in America, Urbania, and now Will & Grace, playing gay just comes naturally to Dan Futterman. (Cover Story).Advocate: I want to make sure we have your whole gay career here. You've got your side career, your gay-for-pay career-- Futterman: That's not the side--that's the bulk of my real career! That's right. What was the first gay role? I think it was in a play called The Raft of the Medusa The Raft of the Medusa (French: Le Radeau de la Méduse) is a work by the French painter Théodore Géricault, and one of the icons of French Romanticism. , which was a short-lived play at the Minetta Lane Theatre [in New York City New York City: see New York, city. New York City City (pop., 2000: 8,008,278), southeastern New York, at the mouth of the Hudson River. The largest city in the U.S. ]. I played--improbable as it may sound--a gay Hasidic Jew who was coming out and, you know, shedding his yarmulke and beard. Not my finest acting moment! After that was Angels in America Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes is an award winning play in two parts by American playwright Tony Kushner. It has been made into both a television miniseries of the same name and an opera by Peter Eötvös. . I took over for Joe Mantello Joe Mantello (born 27 December 1962) is a Tony Award-winning American actor and director best known for his work on Broadway productions of Wicked, Take Me Out and Assassins, as well as earlier in his career being one of the original Broadway cast of on Broadway. That may have been my best job to date, because it was one of those unusual times when you can sort of marry your artistic life and your political life. Our cast started during gay pride week, and it was such an incredibly warm response from people who were just so eager to be at the play. So what was your next gay landmark? I guess on TV--this [role on Will & Grace] is the first gay part on TV, although there was a running joke about my character on Judging Amy Judging Amy is an American television drama that aired from September 19, 1999 until May 3, 2005 on CBS. The show stars Amy Brenneman of NYPD Blue and Tyne Daly of Cagney & Lacey. always being mistaken for being gay. Wasn't there the character on Sex and the City? Oh, yeah, that's right. The gay straight guy. I mean, the question [of the episode] was whether he was a gay straight man or a straight gay man. And if you think about it enough, there is a difference. Then I guess the movie Urbania was next. It doesn't get gayer than Urbania. [Laughs] No, it doesn't. That was the tag line tag line also tag·line n. 1. An ending line, as in a play or joke, that makes a point. 2. An often repeated phrase associated with an individual, organization, or commercial product; a slogan. Noun 1. for the movie: "It doesn't get gayer than that." I'm still good friends with Jon Shear, the writer-director. I've watched it a couple times, and I'm moved by it. Did you kiss anyone, or were there any sex scenes? Yeah, there was a little bit of gay action in that one. Matt Keeslar Matt Keeslar (born October 15, 1972) is an American actor. Keeslar was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan to Fred Keeslar and Ann Ferguson, who divorced in 1977. He has a younger brother, Nathan. was Charlie's lover. [Charlie was Futterman's character.] Nothing incredibly graphic, but quick kisses. And then there was a much more graphic scene with Gabriel Olds, who played a soap opera soap opera Broadcast serial drama, characterized by a permanent cast of actors, a continuing story, tangled interpersonal situations, and a melodramatic or sentimental style. guy whom Charlie picks up on the street. Did you tell your folks, "OK, here comes Urbania"? They're fine. We actually have a family with ... I don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. if it's a higher percentage than most, maybe a more out percentage than most of gay couples, and it's just completely not a big deal in my extended family. My cousin and his longtime long·time adj. Having existed or persisted for a long time: a longtime friend; a longtime resident of Detroit. longtime Adjective boyfriend and my other cousin and her longtime--"girlfriend" seems crazy to say. Partner. Yeah. And their kid; they have a kid together. And there were out people in my high school--both girls and boys. I'm sure you've been on the street and people assumed you were gay. Right, which is fine. I don't know if there's ever any resentment among gay actors of, Well, why do they have a straight actor playing that part? I think that was my impression during Angels in America. There was a general if unstated--"rule" is sort of a strong word, but for that original cast, it was important to have people who were openly gay because it was politically such a strong gay statement. Did you feel anybody was annoyed when they found out you were straight and playing in Angels? I didn't have that experience directly, no. It was definitely an issue, more of a hot issue doing that play, for obvious reasons. And I was asked directly a number of times during that play--more than I ever had been. By the press? By people who'd come up afterward af·ter·ward also af·ter·wards adv. At a later time; subsequently. Adv. 1. afterward - happening at a time subsequent to a reference time; "he apologized subsequently"; "he's going to the store but he'll be back here and talk to you. Sometimes by press. And at the time I decided, You know what? The truth is, I'm not involved with anybody right now, so it's not like I'm hiding a relationship, and I didn't answer it. You put yourself in the straight closet. Yeah, kind of, because it just seemed wrong to me to be doing the play and-- Saying, "Straight, straight, straight." Yeah, exactly. And I felt more comfortable at the time just avoiding the question. It wasn't a brave thing to do. I'm not particularly famous now, and I certainly wasn't then, so it's not like there was anything at stake. But it just felt to me kind of wrong to be playing that card, for both kind of political reasons and also artistically. |
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